AN: Juvia x Lucy BrOTP fic with NaLu and Gruvia ☂️❄️✨🔥

No AU, just old fashioned in-world!

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Big Small Things

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"'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away

I think of you and everything's okay

I'm finally now believing

That maybe it's true

That I can't live without you

And maybe two is better than one

But there's so much time

To figure out the rest of my life

And you've already got me coming undone

And I'm thinking two is better than one"

Boys Like Girls ft Taylor Swift

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Lucy was not avoiding her best friend.

Absolutely not.

Maybe a little.

A tiny bit.

Okay, she was avoiding him – she thought as she scanned the Guild from the door to make sure he wasn't there just yet and sighed in relief.

A few days before she realised something that could ruin their whole friendship. Years of being friends just out of the window just because she was stupid enough to have... to have... an infatuation with him.

It had to be an infatuation because there was no way she was in love with Natsu Dragneel.

No way at all.

She looked down and sighed. There was no way except on how she truly was. She couldn't even pin point when it started! Weren't you supposed to know when you fell in love? What made her fall in love with him in the first place?

Lucy was so confused. Was it really love in the first place? What did she know about love? She remembered her parents being in love, but she was too young to understand it.

She needed to talk to someone about it, to clear her head. Who, though?

Lucy looked around the Guild and she saw Bisca playing with Asuka and even though she would definitely have some input, Lucy wasn't close enough to her to pour her heart out. She saw Levy with Gajeel, and she would speak to the petite blunette but she was in the late stages of her pregnancy and last she heard, Levy just wanted to rest and there was no way Gajeel would let his wife off his sight and having him there was no option: he would blabber to Natsu.

Her light brown eyes set on Juvia, sitting on one of the tables, reading a book by herself and Lucy felt hope. Juvia had been in love with Gray for years. They were not together but everyone knew it was just a matter of time.

She would have the answers, Lucy was sure of it.

Lucy was about to step towards Juvia when she heard, right behind her. "Yo, Lucy." She jumped so hard she thought she would be on the other side of the Guild because the voice was no other than Natsu's.

Happy was flying on top of them, Gray next to him, smirking in amusement, and he was laughing at Lucy's scare jump. "Jeez, Lucy. Deep in thought much?" Natsu asked.

"Shut up!" Lucy's face was bright red and at least this time she could pretend she was embarrassed about getting a fright. "You shouldn't sneak up on people!"

"I called your name a few times before I got close." Natsu shrugged. "Then again when I was close and that's when you jumped."

"It- it- it doesn't matter." Lucy pouted going inside the Guild and hoping the boys would go a different way but they followed her when she was making her way to where Juvia was sitting. Crap.

Noticing them walking her way, Juvia looked up from her book and she smiled when she saw Lucy but her smile became brighter when she spotted Gray, as usual.

"Hello Gray-sama and everyone!" The Water Mage greeted happily. "Please, sit."

"I got some Caramade's Franks on the way here." Gray told her, sitting next to her and Juvia all but beamed in happiness. Natsu sat across from them and Lucy was clearly expected to sit next to the Dragonslayer.

"Actually." Lucy all but screamed and her voice broke a little. "I need Juvia to come with me. Now." The other three frowned at her in confusion at her outburst. Lucy looked at Juvia with pleading eyes. "It's... about... that thing that we talked about... the other day at... that... place?"

It was the lamest thing she could say, but Lucy prayed Juvia would go with it.

The Water Mage frown deepened for a moment, and she studied the blonde: she was biting down on her lower lip, grasping her hands tight and her whole body was tense. Something was wrong.

"The thing. Of course." Juvia nodded and got up and she saw Lucy sigh in relief. "Sorry Gray-sama, Juvia needs to go talk to Lucy-san."

"Is there something wrong?" Gray looked between the two women in suspicion – Juvia wouldn't blow time to spend with him for just anything.

Juvia smiled brightly at her beloved. "Of course not, Gray-sama. You enjoy the Caramade's Franks."

"I got them for us." He grumbled, annoyed.

"I could eat." Natsu said, as oblivious as always and reached for the bag but Gray slapped his hand away and Natsu hissed and then looked at the two women standing close to each other. "Why do you need to go anywhere else to talk? It's not like we can't keep a secret."

Usually, Lucy was quick to reply but she was in crisis mode and seeing that, Juvia was the one who spoke.

"It's not a secret. Lucy-san needs help with something." Juvia grabbed Lucy's hand so they could leave, but Natsu asked, worried.

"Help? What do you need help with? I can help." Natsu was starting to get up and Lucy squeezed Juvia's hand.

"Natsu-san. Sit. Down." Juvia said in a commanding voice and Natsu blinked once before sitting back down and then she leaned over the table, eyes narrowed and even Gray was leaning back away from her. "If Lucy-san needed your help, she would have asked. She doesn't need your help, she needs mine." She said and Natsu opened his mouth. "Unless you know much about periods, heavy flows and managing period cramps. Do you?" Natsu blinked and shook his head. Juvia got back up and was her bubbly self again. "Then you keep Gray-sama company, I don't think we will be back soon so Juvia doesn't mind if you eat her Caramade's Franks this time." That seemed to perk Natsu up. Juvia put a hand on Gray's shoulder. "Juvia will be back before dinner."

"I'll be around." He told her, as if he wanted to say he wouldn't leave until she was back. Lucy felt a bit bad taking her friends' time with each other.

"See ya!" Juvia said and started to pull Lucy towards the exit.

"That was quick thinking with the period stuff." Lucy muttered.

"Survival." Juvia snorted. "Phantom Lord had mostly male members. The number of situations I got out of because I used my period as an excuse is ridiculous. Multiple times a week every week. Some of them with the Master himself. Some men, I swear."

Lucy giggled and let Juvia lead them away.

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They just stopped to get an ice cream each and then they started to walk next to the canals.

"So, Lucy-san." Juvia finally asked. "How can Juvia help you?"

The blonde froze for a moment and then took a breath. "How... how did you know you were in love with Gray?"

Whatever Juvia was expecting Lucy to ask, it was not that. She looked slightly surprised. "Well... Love at first sight, of course." Juvia said and Lucy sighed, making the Water Mage giggle. "It was, but... it wasn't?"

That caught Lucy's attention. "What does that mean?"

Juvia used her spoon to eat some of her ice cream. "When I met Gray-sama, I couldn't help but to... be attracted to him." Lucy could see Juvia blush a little. "How could I not? He is the most handsome man I had ever seen." She sighed wistfully. "Juvia was instantly drawn to him, he was not only handsome, but also... so nice. He was worried about his friends, his Guild in a way I had never seen before. Then, especially after I joined Fairy Tail, I could see more of it. You have to understand, Lucy-san, Juvia had been living in the rain most of her life and being around Gray-sama? It felt like the sun is always around because I fell in love with him, fast, hard and with no coming back."

Lucy nodded and they walked for a little longer. "Is this about Natsu-san?" Juvia asked softly.

"What?" The blonde all but yelled.

"Juvia will take that as a 'yes'." She smiled. "Are you in love with him?"

Lucy stopped walking and Juvia did the same, waiting patiently. "I... don't know but... I think so?" Juvia nodded, letting Lucy speak when ready. "The other day I caught myself thinking how good he smelled. Natsu. Smelling good?"

"Was he?" Juvia raised an eyebrow.

"Was he what?"

"Smelling good?"

"Oh god, yes." Lucy whined. "He doesn't like perfume or any of that because of his Dragonslayer nose but he just... smelled nice. It was just him."

Juvia chuckled. "You start to realise some weird things when it hits you that you have feelings for them. For me was how every time Gray-sama smiled my heart just stops and then starts to beat so fast."

"He does have a nice smile." Lucy sighed, thinking at Natsu stupid toothy smile and she looked at Juvia's shocked and angry face she was sure to add. "Natsu! I was thinking of Natsu's smile." Juvia eyes her for a moment and then nodded, making Lucy shiver – Juvia could still be scary.

They started to walk again and Lucy asked, impulsively. "You never hid that you were in love with Gray. Why?"

Juvia frowned. "What do you mean?"

"From the moment you met him, you were always clear you loved him. It's not something people usually do, we kind of... hide it away because we are afraid of being rejected."

The blunette giggled. "If Juvia hadn't been very clear about her feelings, she doesn't think she and Gray-sama would have progress as much as we have." Lucy nodded. She knew Gray for only a few months before he met Juvia, but even she could see he was hard to crack and the woman next to her did what was almost impossible; Gray was slowly opening his heart to her. She already had it, but he was still trying to hold it just to himself.

"Weren't you afraid of rejection?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, all the time." Juvia tasted her ice cream again. "Every time he turned me down for a reason or another, it hurt." Lucy was not expecting that answer. Maybe she was expecting to be told to not mind rejection, but Juvia did not sugar coated it. "Juvia tried to take it as lightly as possible, take is as a joke, but it still hurt."

"Why keep letting everyone know and see you try and... I am sorry, fail, so many times?" Lucy asked. "Weren't you ever... ashamed?"

"Ashamed?" Juvia stopped walking again and faced Lucy. "Why would Juvia feel ashamed of love?" Lucy blinked in surprise. "Lucy-san, love is not wrong. Love is beautiful but love can also hurt. If you love someone and they don't love you back, it doesn't make your love less important or real. Loving Gray-sama saved my life, but also almost ended it." Juvia unconsciously put her hand on the right side of her stomach where Lucy knew the Water Mage had a scar from where she had saved Gray's life a while ago. "Love helped me save the man who has my heart. No, I was never ashamed, and neither should you. The heart knows even if the head is being stubborn about it." She looked at Lucy pointedly. "Are you ashamed of loving Natsu-san?"

"What?"

Juvia shrugged. "I mean, he can be a bit loud, obnoxious, cocky." Lucy could feel her heart beat faster with the jabs. "He is nowhere as rich like you were, maybe even a bum,"

"I don't care about any of that because he is the best person I know, and I am proud to love him. Also, Gray is no prince either, so shut it." Lucy said annoyed and then put a hand over her mouth, horrified to what she said while Juvia grinned at her.

"First of all, yes, Gray-sama is a prince. And second, welcome to the love side of life, Lucy-san. It sucks sometimes and you are going to hate it until you love it." Juvia squealed in happiness. "Be happy, Lucy-san, remember that love is a gift."

"Is it?"

"Especially when the other person loves you back." Juvia smiled softly. "Natsu-san might not know yet, but he does love you. Men in Fairy Tail are a bit slow to catch up, though."

"Great." Lucy groaned.

"They are slow but they show their love in either big or small ways. Notice the next big small thing Natsu-san does for you and then you'll know."

"Big small thing?" Lucy asked, sceptical.

Juvia nodded. "For example. Remember when Gray-sama brought food for us this morning?" Lucy nodded. "Well, Juvia mentioned a couple of days ago how she missed eating them then he got them for me today and he also implied he would wait all day for Juvia to come back so we could spend time together. Sometimes you have to squint a bit to see what it all means." She shrugged.

"You are a very patient woman. I would have pulled my hairs out already."

Juvia laughed out loud. "I wanted to, so many times. But just because I am ready, doesn't mean he is. I can wait for him. I will. Enjoy these first feelings, the first time you recognise something is different and remember you have nothing to be ashamed of." Lucy nodded and let out a breath, feeling better after talking to Juvia. "Now, let's go back to the Guild. Juvia's love needs attention."

Lucy just laughed out loud and intertwined her arm with Juvia's as both finished their ice creams on the way back to the Fairy Tail.

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Back at the Guild, Juvia murmured some encouraging words and that she was always free to talk if Lucy needed to and then she went to meet Gray, who was walking their way, eyebrows raised at the two giggly women in front of him.

"Everything okay?"

"Wonderful." Juvia beamed at Gray and swapped Lucy's arms for Gray's in an instant, looking up at him adoringly. "Now, Gray-sama. Juvia feels so bad you brought food for us and Juvia needed to leave. Please, let Juvia make it up to you by taking you to that restaurant you like." She pouted adorably and Lucy snickered. "It's the least she can do."

Gray rolled his eyes. "The whole point was for you to have Caramade's Franks. You told me you missed it." Juvia looked at Lucy and winked.

"We can have that for lunch tomorrow?" Juvia suggested and Lucy saw Gray blush a little.

"Fine." Gray put a whole show with rolling his eyes as if he was not enjoying every second and Lucy had to control her laughter. She understood what Juvia meant about the big small things. "Come on, we should go before there are any other emergencies." He looked at Lucy and she knew he was very well aware she needed Juvia for something, just not what Juvia came up with.

"Not today." Lucy smirked and she waved the couple good bye.

Lucy sat down on one of the tables and not long after, she heard steps and Natsu sat next to her, a big bag in his hands and he placed it between them.

"Natsu, what-"

"Look, while you and Juvia were out, I talked to Lisanna okay?" Natsu told her. "She told me what you might need for your heavy period and cramps. By the way, apparently being a woman sucks, so sorry about that." He pointed to the bag. "But it's all in there If you need anything else, let me know.."

Lucy's heart melt with the gesture. "Natsu..."

"Just... you know you can tell me anything right?" He said, serious. "I won't freak out or be disgusted or anything like that. We are a team."

"Yes, we are." Lucy smiled at him, calm for the first time that day.

Maybe Juvia was right, maybe Natsu hadn't realise yet and this gesture helped her. She could only hope he would soon.

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AN: I hope you enjoyed it!

30/01/2025 ~ BonneyQ